GREENFIELD — Sheep dogs and spaniels, master Frisbee flingers and average Joes — people and pups of all types, shapes and sizes hit the fairgrounds Saturday for the K9 Frisbee Toss & Fetch Worldwide Championships.
More than 50 “teams” — each consisting of a dog and a handler — competed at the Franklin County Fairgrounds for the event.
They weren’t just competing against each other, but against more than 700 teams from around the world. Same-day events as part of the global competition were held in Australia, Canada, Colombia, European and other U.S. locations.
“Sometimes she runs faster than she can get the Frisbee,” said Lorraine Messier. “But it’s fun and anybody can play.”
Messier’s Border Collie, GG, had just nearly outrun the mid-air Frisbee she was tracking, but at the last moment whipped her head around to snag the Frisbee before it touched the ground.
“It’s a lot of fun for both the dog and the handler,” Messier said.
Teams competed in several groups — from amateurs to masters — with the humans tossing discs to darting, leaping canines. Each handler, standing in an enclosure marked by cones at its edges, had 60 seconds to toss the discs to their dogs as many times as they’d like. Dogs were judged for their consistency and acrobatics, and also scored based on how far they had to run to catch a flying disc.
With 22 global locations in 17 countries, Greenfield’s competition was designated the New England North America Regional Championship.
According to Mark Vitullo, founder of the K9 Frisbee Toss & Fetch League, which operates the event, the competition is a fun way for anyone to spend time with their dog, while learning a dog sport, and the league encourages “anyone, anywhere with at least eight people (to) start a K9 Frisbee Toss & Fetch Club.”
It was also an event to celebrate the league’s growth since being founded three years ago, and there are now more than 5,000 competing members worldwide, according to Vitullo.
But for many of the humans that attended the event — and for all of the pups — it was less about competition than it was about having fun.
“I just love watching the dog do something that makes him happy,” said Stephanie Shafer, who came up from Hartford with her German wirehaired pointer, Sir Prize, for the event.
Shafer added that she has tried other activities with her dogs, including flyball. In the past, she’s had dogs with different temperaments, including one that didn’t necessarily like open spaces due to being a rescue dog raised in a kennel.
But for Sir Prize, he was doggone excited to get out and show off his signature move — a mid-air biting of the Frisbee.
“If I see they’re enjoying it, I’ll do it,” she said.
Reach David McLellan at dmclellan@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 268.